'You’ve dropped 50 Test wickets in the last couple of years' - Ravi Shastri reveals argument with Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s playoff hopes ended with RCB’s victory last night after a topsy-turvy IPL 2022. SRH was well in contention to seal a playoff berth after five consecutive wins but went on a back-breaking losing streak of five games that derailed their bid for a top 4 spot. 

Sunrisers’ pacer Umran Malik has been the talk of the town as his rapid pace has blown everyone away. T Natarajan has also been impressive as both the pacers feature in the list of top 10 wicket-takers in IPL 2022. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has slowly regained his mojo this season after a series of unfortunate injuries. The right-arm quick has not been prolific as he has picked just 12 wickets, but his ability to restrict batsmen has been quite impressive. The Indian quick’s death bowling skill was on display when he bowled a wicket maiden 19th over against Mumbai. 

Kumar recently became the first Indian pacer to take 150 wickets in the IPL. His exploits with the old ball have impressed former Indian coach Ravi Shastri. “Bhuvi’s disposition has improved tremendously in the last year. He’s adjusted to becoming the captain’s go-to guy on most occasions and is looking forward to the challenge. Even when bowling the final over with only a few runs to defend, he rarely makes fundamental errors.” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo.

Bhuvneshwar’s fitness is a huge boost for the Indian team: Ravi Shastri

After his heroics against Mumbai Indians, Shastri said: “Not at all surprised. I always argue with Bhuvi whenever we meet. I believe that if he can just concentrate and work harder on his fitness, experience, and ability in all formats of the game, he can achieve incredible results.”

“I told him that the guy was unfit every time we travelled England or New Zealand. You’ve dropped 50 red-ball wickets in the last couple of years,” I said. But, forget about the Sunrisers, if he stays fit, he’ll be an obvious choice for the Indian team,” he added.

The pacer hasn’t played consistently since the 2019 Cricket World Cup due to back troubles. The 32-year-old pacer then suffered a thigh muscle injury during IPL 2020 which ruled him out of the league as well as the tour of Australia.